It is generally appreciated that there are many known technologies for providing coffeemakers and alarm clocks. Modern electric drip coffeemakers are commonplace in the domestic appliance market. These coffeemakers offer numerous options. For example, some will even grind beans automatically, and then brew the coffee. Some continue to heat the coffee after it is brewed, and some dispense the coffee into an insulated container for warmth. Most of these coffeemakers begin their operation in response to the pressing of a brew button, which starts the cycle of heating the water in a reservoir, such that the hot water drips through ground coffee into an awaiting receptacle. This brew button may be called by other names, such as “start”, “on”, or other names with the same general meaning. For simplicity, it will be referred to as the “brew” button. The ground coffee may be placed in the machine before the brew cycle. In machines that grind beans, coffee beans may be placed in the grinding receptacle instead, and the pressing of the brew button causes the beans to first grind, followed by the dispensing of the hot water through the now ground beans. In addition, the water can be placed in the reservoir before the cycle begins, either by a user pouring it there, or through a directly plumbed connection to the household water supply, depending on the model of coffeemaker.
Some of these coffeemakers have a clock and timer built-in, so you can preset the brew start time in advance. In these cases, the user first determines how to program the coffeemaker. Typically the user begins by setting the desired time at which brewing should start. The user typically would press a “timer” or similarly named button. This causes the brew cycle to start at a time the user has already set using time-setting techniques on electronic timers, clocks, and similar devices as set forth in user manuals. This time presetting is typically done by first pressing a button to enter the preset time programming mode, and then pressing the same or other buttons to move forwards or backwards to the desired clock time for starting the brewing. Finally, there is usually another button press to confirm this is the desired time, or after a period of not touching any buttons, the current displayed time is set as the desired time. There are some analog clock timers also in use, where knobs and dials are used to set the start time. The disadvantage of any of these methods for presetting the brew start time is that the user who wants to wake to fresh coffee must set the brew time on their coffee pot for the correct time. The user must similarly set their bedside alarm clock to wake them at an appropriate time. The user must set both of these timers, and if their desired wake time changes because of unforeseen circumstances (e.g., a child wakes in the night) or foreseen circumstances (e.g., switching times between weekends and weekdays), the user must reset both their alarm clock and their coffeemaker to the new time.
Some designers have tried to get around this problem by creating complex home automation systems, where a central controller or computer synchronizes the activities of many appliances in the house. A user could set a program in such a controller that triggers an alarm at their bedside, and starts the coffeemaker in the kitchen accordingly. The problem with this system is it requires a separate centralized controller along with the interconnection to all of the appliances. Also, home automation systems are not inexpensive, and they are often difficult to operate. What is needed is an inexpensive and simple way to automatically coordinate wake-up time with coffee brew time.